March 18, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



129 



A. aculeata. — This is a smaller Fern, with a stem soVne 

 five or six feet in height, armed with long, sharp thorns, as are 

 also the stipes. Its fronds are tripinnate, and of a size pro- 

 portionate to that of the stem. It comes from tropical America, 

 and makes better growth when cultivated in a warm house. 



A. excelsa is another of the large species, and reaches a 

 height of thirty feet. It bears some resemblance to A. aus- 

 tralis in general outline, but is even more hardy than that fine 

 species. Its fronds have much substance, and it may be used 

 out-of-doors in summer, as well as for house-decoration. 



A. Rebecca is of much more recent introduction than those 

 named above. It is a cool-house species from Australia. Its 

 fronds are bipinnate and dark green in color, and the plant 

 attains a height of about eight feet. 



The Cyatheas include such good plants as C. dealbata, 

 with large fronds that are quite finely cut and almost white 

 beneath ; C. medullaris , a very large Fern, with fronds ten to 

 twelve feet long, stipes almost black, and the crown of the 

 plant covered with black chaffy hairs ; a good plant for cool 

 treatment ; C. Dregei and C. princess. 



As has been said, young plants of Dicksonia antarctica are 

 suitable for even a Fern-house of very modest dimensions, 

 but there are small Tree-ferns besides well suited to small 

 houses. Some of the best of these are Bleechium Brasiliense, 

 Lomaria gibba and L. cycadoides. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. TapllJl. 



Clianthus Dampieri. 



THIS plant, also known as the Australian Glory-pea, is a 

 truly beautiful one when in flower, but, as is well-known 

 to all who have attempted its cultivation, there could scarcely 

 be a more fickle subject. Much has been written on the 

 treatment of this plant, and, curiously enough, those who 

 have succeeded with it are all equally emphatic in com- 

 mending their several methods, which, it is hardly necessary 

 to add, are widely different. It is not because I have discov- 

 ered any new way of treating this plant, but from the fact that 

 seeds were sown last September in a cool greenhouse, and a 

 plant produced therefrom is now in flower, that I am tempted 

 to record the fact that others may do likewise. The seeds 

 were few in number, and were sown in a four-inch pot, and 

 when the pot was full of roots the ball of soil, without any dis- 

 turbance, was shifted into a six-inch pot, and as red spider 

 does not seem to have attacked the plant, it is still in good 

 health, and other flowers are showing for future display. To 

 those unacquainted With the plant, it may be well to explain 

 that the prevailing color of the flower is bright red, the lower 

 part or keel bearing a strong resemblance to a lobster's claw, 

 to which it has often been likened. The upper half of the 

 flower is almost black, with a small blotch of white. This is 

 the typical plant. There is also a variety known as C. margi- 

 natus, in which the color of the claw is white, margined with 

 red, giving the plant a most distinct appearance. An excellent 

 colored figure of this variety appeared in the London Garden 

 a year ago. It appears that Louis Viewig, of Ouedlinburg, 

 Prussia, has hit upon the plan of grafting C. Dampieri upon 

 the much hardier and more easily grown C. punicens, which 

 gives it a much better constitution and longer life. Grafted 

 plants are offered at very low prices, and should be worth the 

 notice of some of our enterprising nurserymen and seedsmen. 

 It may also be remarked that the white-margined variety 

 has been named "Deutsche Flagge," the colors being red, 

 white and black. Those who attempt the cultivation of the 

 Clianthus should use light soil composed of loam, leaf-mold, 

 a little charcoal, and enough sand to make the soil porous, 

 and when potting it on they should take care not to injure a 

 single root-fibre. Careful attention also should be given to the 

 watering. Cliaiithus punicens is itself a very beautiful plant. 

 Years ago I remember to have seen a fine plant growing out- 

 of-doors in a sheltered position on a south wall, which every 

 summer flowered profusely, and was a beautiful object. C. 

 punicens could not be grown here in New England in this way, 

 but is well worth trying in a greenhouse, however limited the 

 space, as it could be planted out and trained up the rafters, 

 and if freely syringed red spider could be kept away much more 

 easily than would be the case with C. Dampieri, the foliage of 

 the latter being densely clothed with a woolly covering, and 

 therefore an excellent refuge for this minute pest. 



South Lancaster, Mass. O. (J. 



Chrysanthemums. — Mine are now well established in three- 

 inch pots, and are breaking after the first stop. I shall repot 

 about the 20th of March into six-inch pots, and about the first 

 of April shall remove into a cold frame, which will be kept 

 only warm enough to be frost-proof. My plants are thus kept 



healthy and stocky, and arc thoroughly hardened by the time 

 I put them into ten-inch and twelve-inch pots, the final size, in 

 May. For the last shift I use "good heavy loam, previously 

 enriched, with a sprinkling of oyster-shells, as our soil is almost 

 devoid of lime ; coal ashes answer just as well. I return the 

 plants to the frames so as to be able to cover them with 

 sashes in case of heavy rain, which soddens and sours the soil. 



Wellesley, Mass. 



T. D. H. 



Lilium Wallichianum superbum. — The introduction of this 

 superb Lily will again call attention to that group of Indian 

 Lilies of which L. Nepalense, L. Neilgherrense and L. Philippin- 

 ense are representatives. It is well known to cultivators of Lilies 

 that the members of this group have always been difficult to 

 manage, the trouble being that they are very excitable, deli- 

 cate in growth, and make but few roots. From information I 

 have just received it is evident that this new variety of L. Wal- 

 lichianum does not manifest the weakness of its relatives. A 

 plant which grows six feet high and carries eleven flowers and 

 requires scarcely any support, is certainly a vigorous one and 

 different from the ordinary run of Indian Lilies. It must be 

 borne in mind that this group will not endure rough treat- 

 ment, and demands the protection of a greenhouse from Sep- 

 tember to May. If L. Wallichianum superbum ever gets cheap 

 enough for florists to grow in quantity, what a magnificent 

 Easter Lily it will be ! The coloring of its immense trumpet- 

 shaped flowers is most beautiful — a rich golden yellow and 

 white inside, bronzy brown and white on the outside. 



The type, L. Wallichianum, was introduced into England 

 forty vears ago. 



PeariRiver, N. Y. John Thorpe. 



Euphorbia jacquinisefolia. — This useful old plant, with its long 

 slender sprays of rich crimson flowers, is very ornamental in 

 the greenhouse now, and for cut flowers it is unsurpassed. It 

 does well with the same treatment as that given to the Poin- 

 settia ; in fact, I grow the two on the same bench and treat 

 them exactly alike, except that the Euphorbia is not cut back 

 quite so severely as the Poinsettia, although, while growing, I 

 pinch it back quite freely to make it more bushy. 



Chorizema cordatum. — This is a showy greenhouse plant 

 with Pea-shaped flowers, colored orange and red, and pro- 

 duced freely in long terminal racemes. It flowers in early 

 spring, and delights in a light rich soil, with plenty of water 

 while growing. When it has made its growth it should be 

 kept a little drier until fall, with abundant sunshine to ripen 

 the wood. When repotted in autumn it should be cut back 

 quite severely and set in a warm, sunny position. As soon as 

 the new growth begins a good supply of water will again be 

 required. 



May wood, N.J. /. o. 1. 



Correspondence. 

 The Wissahickon Woods. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — The articles that have appeared in Garden and For- 

 est from time to time, on communal forests, and the care and 

 management of municipal forests, have been instructive and 

 interesting to American readers. The land tenure here is so 

 different from that prevailing in Europe that it might be very 

 difficult, if not impossible, for the Government to own and cul- 

 tivate land in the older states. If the Government undertook 

 to buy the holdings of the people a great expenditure of money 

 must be made. 



All municipalities require open-air spaces. Philadelphia en- 

 joys excellent facilities in this respect. Fairmount Park was 

 created (i) for the protection of the water-supply of the city, (2) 

 for the maintenance and preservation of pastoral scenery, and 

 (3) as a pleasure resort. Philadelphia's only available water- 

 supply is derived from the Schuylkill River. Pumpingstations 

 and subsidence reservoirs have been constructed from time to 

 time to utilize this supply. The growth of the city along the 

 river front, and the erection of large woolen and cotton works, 

 have seriously impaired the supply. The present Fairmount 

 Park was secured as a preventive measure against the pollu- 

 tion of the streams within the county limits. Two thousand 

 seven hundred acres of land were thus set aside ; still the 

 purity of the water was found to be below the standard. The 

 cause was sought for. The Wissahickon, the main affluent of 

 the Schuylkill within the county limits, was found at fault. A 

 belt of land five miles long on either side of the stream was 

 secured. All the mills, nearly twenty in number, were pur- 

 chased and removed. 



